dewalt scroll saw

[jeff oldham]

i just bought this saw and i do woodworking,,i built cabients ,,furniture,,,and have been doing it for years and love it,,,,but i can honestly say,,,i hate this scroll saw,,well not just this one but any,,,,i figure if it cant be cut with a band saw,,,you dont need it,,llol,,it takes forever to get the blade on it,,it breaks reguardless of how much tension is on it,,or bends,,,plus you cannot turn the material and follow the lines,,,,,,and im sure there is alot of people that love them,,,,but in my option reguardless of the price,,,personallity,,,i would not give a hundred dollars for the most expensive one made,,,a complete waste of money,,,but that is my option,,

[Larry Frank]

Like any tool, one needs to learn to use it. If you are breaking so many blades you are doing something wrong. It is not bandsaw. I can turn the material and easily follow the lines.

Can you make this on a bandsaw? I made it on a scrollsaw.

511318

[Richard Coers]

You need to take a class. My first impression is you are using the wrong blades and your technique is all wrong. Dewalt has sold thousands of that saw and if everyone had your issues, why would people keep buying them? Ever notice that not everyone has your problems? There is a lot of spectacular work out there. The saying goes, "It's a poor craftsman that blames his tools."

[glenn bradley]

Watching someone who knows how to use a scrollsaw can be a humbling experience. It is a method involving a good degree of finesse. I own the DeWalt. Certainly the best make/model (788?) I have used that costs under $1000. Purchased for a project and used little since its completion. Currently in the original boxes in an outbuilding awaiting a good reason for bringing it into the shop again.

[Cary Falk]

I sold my Dewalt scroll saw because I just didn't use it that much. It was by far the smoothest scroll saw I have used. Like everything else, the blade makes a huge difference. Those spiral blades are awesome. Use a tool outside of its intended purpose and it can be frustrating as well. Not every tool is for everybody and that is OK. I don't use hand planes. I can't sharpen, adjust, or use them. It's not the plane's fault. I can accomplish the same thing with a belt sander. I see many people post about how they hate belt sanders. To each his own.

[Zachary Hoyt]

I bought a 788 a couple of years ago from a school auction and I like it a lot, though I don't use it all the time. It's main use is cutting the F holes in the soundboards of fiddles, archtop guitars, and mandolins. I got it for a $105 bid plus BP and tax. I was the back bidder and the person who won the bid didn't pay, so the company offered it to me. I was driving down to get the bandsaw I had also bought, and paid for the scroll saw over the phone from a random spot on the side of the road.

[Charles Lent]

www.scrollsawvillage.com is a forum dedicated to scroll sawing with many very talented members who share ideas and "help the new guy" attitude. I also own a DeWalt 788 saw and at one time taught and demonstrated scroll sawing at trade shows. I'm just too old and with too much wrong with me to be able to travel with saw, tables, and supplies to do this any more, or I would still be doing it.

Scroll sawing is slow and most woodworkers can't get their head around doing small, slow, accurate, and delicate work like most scroll saw projects require. It takes a different mindset, a journey, not a destination, but the completed project, when it is finally completed, makes it all very worth doing for those of us who can appreciate it. Visit the Scroll Saw Village website and look around. It's quite a different kind of woodworking, but if you are up for a new and slower way of woodworking you shouldn't get rid of your scroll saw quite so quickly. Learn how to scroll and operate your saw properly. The DeWalt 788 is a great saw to start with. The smaller and cheaper models lack accuracy and features which frustrate new and old users quickly. The 788 and those more expensive saws of similar design are the best to get started using, and like me, kept using. Enjoy the scroll sawing journey and be happy. Treat the project being cut as an accuracy journey, not a race to the finish. Others, and me, on scroll saw village can help you quickly learn what blades to use and how to get comfortable using your scroll saw and enjoying scrolling instead of getting frustrated with it.

Charley

[George Yetka]

I bought the dewalt a few years back with the thought that Id put it in my basement so that when the kids went to sleep I could still play. I used it exactly 1 time over the last few years and sold it this summer. It wasn't for me though I may not have given it enough of a chance. I can appreciate it and know some people that can do amazing things with it. I put it together and it worked great I cut out half a dozen practice sheets I found online. It was a great saw for the money. and I got 80% back

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I don't have the Dewalt so I can't speak for it. I can tell you I bought an Excaliber for my wife who thought she wanted one. We both took a class at the WoodCraft store in Spokane. Here's what I learned. (1) Following the class, my wife lost all interest in using a scroll saw. (2) I have used it on a couple projects, the saw works well but using a scroll saw is like using my lathe. You need to practice and develop your skill. Being skilled in scroll sawing is a combination of skill and using the right blade for the project at hand.

[Patty Hann]

I don't have the Dewalt so I can't speak for it. I can tell you I bought an Excaliber for my wife who thought she wanted one. We both took a class at the WoodCraft store in Spokane. Here's what I learned. (1) Following the class, my wife lost all interest in using a scroll saw......

Ummm...why?

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Ummm...why?

Patty, I don't have a clue. After the class that day, I bought the saw. She hasn't shown one bit of interest in using it. I have practiced with it and have used it when applicable on a couple projects.

[Patty Hann]

Patty, I don't have a clue. After the class that day, I bought the saw. She hasn't shown one bit of interest in using it. I have practiced with it and have used it when applicable on a couple projects.
Just curious... I have one (Dewalt --2nd hand) But I haven't used it yet.
But that is only because I'm slowly (oh, so slowly) getting my gara-shop set up.
They have a few at the shop where I take my WW class. They are frequently in use all evening.

[Rick Potter]

Hey Ken...

Don't feel like the Lone Ranger. My wife insisted I buy the top of the line RBI (Now Hawk) about 15 years ago so she could use it. Also got several pattern books etc. that appealed to her.

It is stored in a shed, and never used except to check it out. She still says she wants it. Paid $1100 back then. She chose that one because my dad had one and did craft shows. I inherited his later also...same shed.

They are both great machines, but I was never interested in them.

[Andrew Seemann]

I picked up a Dewalt 788 from Acme a few years ago on a Black Friday deal, something like $200 off regular price. I had an old Ryobi that I used when I needed the capabilities of a scroll saw. It got the job done, but unlike the 788, it was never a particularly enjoyable tool to use. I don't do "scroll sawing" per se (I have the skill, but not the patience or temperament for it, same with woodcarving), but I do have enough situations in general woodworking where a scroll saw is the best way to do something.

The last thing I used it for was cutting out inside rectangles in blocks of 5/4 LP Smartside trim for outdoor outlets. I actually used a coarse toothed coping saw blade in it rather than a standard scroll saw blade. It did a surprisingly good job of cutting through 1" of extra dense OSB.

[Jay Moodley]

Hey Ken...

Don't feel like the Lone Ranger. My wife insisted I buy the top of the line RBI (Now Hawk) about 15 years ago so she could use it. Also got several pattern books etc. that appealed to her.

It is stored in a shed, and never used except to check it out. She still says she wants it. Paid $1100 back then. She chose that one because my dad had one and did craft shows. I inherited his later also...same shed.

They are both great machines, but I was never interested in them.

I too have a Dewalt 788. It’s positioned just inside my garage door and I have to remove the rust from the top every spring. My wife insisted on purchasing the saw more than 6 years ago and has never used it. She insists that we hold on to the saw as she may get the urge to learn scrolling someday. She also has a guitar, uke and pan drum, all unplayed.

[Rick Potter]

Well Jay,

There is an upside here. I still have the OEM wife, who never questions my need for three table saws. She just upgraded sewing machines that cost more than a Saw Stop. I may look like I fell off a turnip truck, but I am not going to question her purchases either.

[Alan Lightstone]

I too have a Dewalt 788. It’s positioned just inside my garage door and I have to remove the rust from the top every spring.
Yup, I built a cart for mine. Just has rust removed every once in a while when I notice it.
I just took an marquetry course a couple of months ago. We tried using one for a few minutes, then everyone went back to hand saws.

The Dewalt is what we refer to in medicine as a space occupying lesion. We refer to some people as that too, but that's another topic.

[Zachary Hoyt]

I use mine maybe an hour or two a year, but when I need it it's by far the best tool for the job. It sounds like some of you may have humidity problems, though, with all that rust. My tools don't get rusty inside the shop, even the ones I don't use much (or at all, in the case of the old bet sander that I never set up after I moved).

[Mike Cutler]

Patty, I don't have a clue. After the class that day, I bought the saw. She hasn't shown one bit of interest in using it. I have practiced with it and have used it when applicable on a couple projects.

Ken

Could it be that the class took the "fun out of it" for her by presenting to much structured information, or presenting a level of craftsmanship she didn't believe she could attain?
When I was little, I was "that kid", that would try to make an explosive device out of just about anything. Navy bomb school broke me of that little idiosyncrasy. The Navy definitely knew how to" take the fun" out of things.
Other than making shotgun shells for hunting and sporting clays, I don't even play with fireworks. just not worth the effort.

Jeff
A scroll saw is one of those tools that you don't need all the time, but is nice to have stored away for the future. For me, a lathe falls into the same category.
I have zero interest in turning out bowls, vases, or free forms, just for the sake of the lathe. If I need to make something for project, I take it out of storage, set it up, and make what I need.
There are folks that make amazing projects on a lathe, and a scroll saw. For them it is the tool that opens up their individual sense of creativity.

[Jimmy Harris]

Glad to hear I'm not the only one who bought their wife a scroll saw! And yeah, she never uses it either.

I bought a cheap Wen scroll saw because I didn't think it would be used that often, and if it turned out she needed something better, it was a small investment, so no big deal to upgrade. Now it's one of my most used and favorite power tools!

Unlike a lot of power tools, it's not so much about how you set it up, but about how you actually use it. It's more like a hand tool in a lot of regards. Or maybe a Dremel. They have quirks you have to figure out. And they have a lot of freedom in what you can do. But that freedom to do more is also the freedom to make more mistakes. And changing the blade doesn't just change WHAT the saw can cut, but HOW it feeds and cuts. You almost have to relearn how to use each new blade, like it's a different tool. Again, much like a Dremel.

A couple of tricks that I've discovered are to focus your eyes in front of the blade, not on the blade. And if it wants to feed at a slight angle, that probably means you're bending the blade over to that side. It's easy to do and not realize it. But if you still can't get it to feed right, and that angle is consistent, then go with it. Feed it at that angle it wants to run. It'll probably run straight once you do. Choosing the right blade can make all of the difference sometimes. And go slow. Make every move like you're playing a game of chess.

There are three, must have accessories for a scroll saw, in my opinion, and a lot of saws come with these, but not all. First is a blower to clean off the dust so you can see what you're doing. Second is a light that allows you to see what you're doing. And third is a foot controller. I find it a lot easier to remind yourself to go slow and plan out your moves ahead of time if you're able to conveniently start and stop your machine. Scroll saws don't make big mistakes. The make tiny mistakes that compound over time. So rather than trying to prevent a mistake from happening, it's often better to focus on recognizing a mistake starting to form and correcting it before it becomes a problem.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I showed this thread to my wife just now. She said she feels better knowing she is in a crowd!:eek::confused::rolleyes::D

[Mike Henderson]

I had to laugh about this, also. I bought a high quality used scroll saw with a really long throat (needed it for marquetry) from a guy. He said he bought it for his wife and it was used about twice. Got it for a good price.

[Like Jimmy said, you really need a foot control.]

[One more comment: I've used the Dewalt scroll saw in a woodworking class and found it to be fine. The throat was short for what I needed but it worked okay. I think the Type 1 version is the one people say is the best.]

Mike

[Larry Frank]

I guess that I am the odd one as I do not like or use a foot control. I have back issues and using a foot control causes problems.

Of course,it depends on what type of work you do. I do not do fretwork and instead to Intarsia on my Hegner saw. This is an example of what I like to make.

[John Kananis]

I have a dremmel 1800 that I bought maybe 20+ years ago to do a couple of things that it was well suited for. It rarely comes out any more (I do have plans for it but never find the time)... funny thing is I've been trying to convince my wife to give it a shot for years but no avail.

[Rick Potter]

Adding to what Mike said above, the Type 1 DeWalt was made in Canada and was a close cousin to the Excalibur.

Later models were sourced from offshore.

[Patty Hann]

Adding to what Mike said above, the Type 1 DeWalt was made in Canada and was a close cousin to the Excalibur.

Later models were sourced from offshore.

I read about that (the difference between the Type 1 and Type 2). A guy was selling two of them (used) one of each "type".
He didn't know the difference. I picked up the Type 1 for about $200.